Tony Rose, President and CEO of CVMC, says the partnership provides a learning
opportunity for CVCC students and will benefit the hospital through the
hiring of future graduates.
“This machine is used by surgeons at CVMC for a variety of minimally
invasive surgeries,” said Rose. “Now, CVCC students can be
trained on the setup and operation of this new technology. As students
come into the operating room as interns or in permanent positions, their
experience with this machine will be a great asset to our staff. This
donation is an investment in the community that will not only give students
hands on experience with the equipment, but has the potential to enhance
the quality of patient care in the Catawba Valley region for years to
come.”
Catawba Valley Medical Center was the first hospital in the northwestern
North Carolina area to offer state-of-the-art robotic surgical technology
to patients. The da Vinci® Surgical System allows surgeons to conduct
extremely precise surgical operations with a high degree of fluidity and
accuracy. When compared with traditional open surgery or even laparoscopic
surgery, the da Vinci system can result in better clinical outcomes and
allow patients to return to active, productive lives more quickly.
Following upgrades within the Surgery Services department, hospital leadership
chose to donate the device to CVCC. In addition to the technology, CVMC
staff members will train new student users, giving future grads an opportunity
to get one-on-one time with nurses and technicians. To date, CVCC is the
sole educational facility in the region with such a device, spotlighting
a unique and advanced opportunity for potential applicants.
“Having this kind of technology in the community college environment
is very uncommon,” said Kim Clark, Ph.D., Dean of CVCC’s School
of Health & Public Services. “We’re excited about the
potential it holds for our students. It’s an incredible addition
to our ValleySim Hospital and the surgical technology curriculum in particular.
Those students will work for hospitals that are using the da Vinci. They
will have the skills needed to hit the ground running after graduation
and be a strong member of the surgical team.”
The ValleySim Hospital at CVCC is the largest simulated hospital of its
kind on the east coast, it is equipped with a wide variety of low- and
high-fidelity programmable manikins, video and computer equipment. Realistic
health-care experiences can be simulated to meet the clinical training
needs of healthcare students and practicing professionals.
“We attempt to stay on the cutting edge of surgical technology and
so does CVCC,” said Michele McGlamery, RN, MSN, Director, Operating
Room and Endoscopy at CVMC. “When we look at potential hires, experience
with this type of equipment is unique and automatically makes an applicant
more marketable to CVMC and other employers. Through this donation, our
partnership has been reinforced and I look forward to training students
to properly setup and operate the da Vinci.”
About Catawba Valley Community College
Catawba Valley Community College is an accredited comprehensive North Carolina
community college serving Catawba and Alexander counties. Through more
than 10 different allied health programs, the college prepares local healthcare
professionals, including nursing, respiratory therapy, dental hygiene,
surgical technology, radiography, emergency medical science and many others.
For complete information about CVCC’s School of Health and Public
Services, visit
http://www.cvcc.edu/Health_Services.
About Catawba Valley Medical Center
Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, N.C., is the region’s largest
not-for-profit, public healthcare system and serves the community without
direct funding from taxes. CVMC provides and promotes physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual well-being of the public in addition to serving
as a center for health education, wellness services, preventive medicine
and acute care. CVMC has received three Magnet designations from the American
Nurses Credentialing Center and has been recognized with two Women’s
Choice Awards, being named one of America’s Best 100 Hospitals for
Patient Experience and a 2013 Best Hospital for Patient Experience in
Obstetrics by WomenCertified®. For more information, please visit
http://www.catawbavalleymedical.org.
(L-R) Michele McGlamery, RN, MSN, CNOR, NEA-BC, Director, Operating Room/Endoscopy
at CVMC; Michelle Reid, Surgical Technologist II at CVMC; Tony Rose, President
& CEO of CVMC; Kim Clark, Ph.D., Dean, School of Health & Public
Services at CVCC; Garrett D. Hinshaw, Ph.D., President of CVCC; and Cliff
Singleton, RN, BSN, CNOR, OR Business Manger at CVMC, with the da Vinci®
Surgical System, recently donated by CVMC to CVCC for use in the school’s
new ValleySim Hospital.